Author Note: Currently looking for a beta! If you're interested, email me at oxymoronic_

Part 1: Intra-Polios Potion

"There is no way that could be true," Harry asked in pure disbelief. He had almost dropped his spoonful of mash potatoes.

"That's what Seamus said," Ron nodded diligently. He stuffed a rather oversized spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth. "He…'aid that 'ape was a 'ampire."

Hermione's forehead wrinkled in disgust. "Seriously Ron, I would have thought you learned manners from your mother."

"There's no way." Harry added overlooking Ron's mouthful of food.

Harry was in complete disbelief. Dumbledore would never allow a vampire on staff at Hogwarts. He had only read briefly about them, but he did know that if starved, they would attack without thought.

"Really," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Vampires are well-respected within the wizarding world. Though a lot of them may stray to be dark, they are very powerful creatures and an asset to the ministry. I even read that the ministry employs them without question due to their abilities."

"But what if they attacked," Harry reminded her.

"That's why it is imperative that they have a donor," Hermione responded almost as quickly.

"What is a donor?" Harry was leaning forward unconsciously in his interest.

"It's a person that the vampire feeds from regularly so that starvation does not occur. This person agrees to it usually due to the power they receive from the act. Others are after the…physical…responses to the feeding. Of course, if the vampire finds his or her bondmate, then the donor is no longer required." Hermione finished in a matter-of-factly tone. It wasn't surprising that she knew everything there was to know since she always had her nose buried in a new book each day.

"Wow," Ron said from beside her. His mouth was still completely packed with mash potatoes and thus received a smack from Hermione. He blushed visibly, but sheepishly grinned at her.

"Physical responses?" Harry questioned with his mouth contorting into an odd shape with the word 'physical.'

Hermione sighed deeply. "I had hoped not to go into further detail on that aspect, but yes, physical. When a vampire feeds, it often causes sexual stimulus on both parties. While the act of feeding for the vampire tends to just solely quench hunger, the donor or bondmate feels sexual stimulation during the act."

"So you mean," Ron said with a slight disgusted face. "…they get off on getting sucked?!"

Hermione shook her head with a deep sigh. "In vulgar terms, yes Ron."

Harry didn't speak; his mind was still wrapped around Snape doing that to someone. Who would want to be a donor for Snape? He felt a turn in his stomach. He put the thought from his mind.

"How does Seamus know Snape's a vampire?" Harry asked lightly trying to venture off the subject of feeding.

"Seamus said that he was walking one night and saw someone coming from Snape's personal quarters. They looked pale and were holding their neck," Ron said as he too leaned over towards Harry.

"That could be anything," Hermione said turning her nose up.

"Well he also said that Snape peeked from the room and looked younger," Ron said indignantly.

Hermione nodded curtly. "It is all part of their abilities. You can often tell that a person is a vampire solely on the fact that they do not seem to age."

"Then Snape can't possibly be a vampire," Harry quickly resolved.

"Not necessarily," Hermione added. "If the vampire does not feed regularly enough, he or she looks visibly aged. It is also a known fact that in order to mask their identity, a vampire will cast a spell to mask their full beauty. Their beauty is also another ability in which is used to lure victims. Of course, with the donor system, there is no longer a reason to use it."

"Although Snape seeming younger is still not concrete enough to determine he is a vampire," Hermione quickly added. "Seamus might have just been seeing the shadows on his face and thought that Snape looked younger."

"We'll never know," Harry said almost defeated. It was interesting though. He wondered if it might be possible. It certainly explained a lot. Then he suddenly attached his thoughts to something Hermione had said.

"What's a bondmate?"

Hermione looked up from where she had been staring. "Honestly Harry, don't you ever pay attention in Defense against the Dark Arts? It was in our textbook. It's a person that is said to be fated with the vampire. Usually, when the person comes of age, or the vampire's body begins to seek out the bondmate, that is where they come into contact. Often, the vampire can sense this person just by being near them. Some vampires spend a good part of their lives looking for their bondmate. Some never find them. However, its said that if found, the vampire and bondmate become even more powerful. Unfortunately, if either one of them were to die, the other would pass along as well due to the power of the connection."

"Wicked," Ron said over a mouthful of chicken.

Hermione only shook her head ,and Harry laughed over his food. He wondered lightly if Snape had a bondmate or if he had a donor. He guessed he would have to find out if he was a vampire first and foremost.

"Make sure that when you add the fiddle-root that you stir the potion clockwise," Snape said from the front of the class. He sneered at a couple of students that giggled in the back of the class. "Silence! I suggest all of you get to work."

Everyone was focused on their potion making. Ron was adding the fiddle-root while Harry stirred the contents clockwise. Harry's mind was wondering however to other matters have been discussed earlier. It still seemed mind blowing that Snape might in fact be a vampire. Why it interested him so much, he did not fully know.

A sudden loud crack erupted into the room. Harry turned just to catch a glimpse of purple smoke ascend into the air. Neville Longbottom lie on the floor, still holding the ladle in hand. His eyes stared, unmoving at the ceiling. Two other students caught in the midst of the smoke dropped to the floor.

"Out of the way," screamed a very angry Potion's Master. He dashed across the room at lightning speed. He spun his wand in a small circular motion trying to contain the smoke within. Three other students fell to the floor their eyes unmoving same as Neville's. "Out of the room now!"

Students were already running out of the room. They crammed their bodies together, pushing through the space as if their lives depended on it. Ron grabbed urgently at Harry's sleeve to pull him out of the room, but dizziness took over, and he slipped into a deep darkness that seemed to crash over him like a wave. The last he heard was Ron yelling.

"Harry!"

Harry felt his body begin to wake up from his unconsciousness. He flexed his fingers, touching the material just above them. He remembered being in Potion's and then a loud crack,. Beyond that, his thoughts were blurred and he couldn't recall anything further.

He could hear someone talking. A deep, soothing baritone voice rumbled, but he couldn't quite make out the words. He strained his ears, willing them to hear what was being said. Finally, he was able to grasp onto the words.

"You knew," the voice said. The rich tone of the person's voice was like chocolate to the ears.

"I was aware of the connection, yes" came another voice this one sounding familiar. He'd often heard it but he couldn't quite put a face to it. He continued to strain his ears.

"The bonding must happen at once," the silky, baritone voice was familiar as well. He joggled his mind to figure out where he had heard it before. Finally, everything rushed over him. It was Snape. The voice belonged to Snape.

"Harry must decide that for himself, Severus. The connection must be mutual before the bonding can take place." Harry finally caught the face to go with the voice. It was Dumbledore's voice.

"You know better than anyone else that the connection is mutual. I can smell his connection. That potion only heightened my senses of his presence ," Snape said angrily. He sounded impatient as always. Of course, Harry had no idea what the two were talking about let alone why he was involved.

"Before it was time, Severus. For the time being, I will have you refrain, Severus. Harry is after all just a child," Dumbledore said with all seriousness.

"He is of legal age," Snape said with a biting tone. "He is rightfully mine."

"Now now, Severus my boy," Dumbledore said with a slight tut-tut. "I am not stating that he is not your true bondmate, but he has every right to make the decision for himself. I will not make it for him."

Snape made a noise to protest, but was cut off by the Headmaster.

"I will arrange to have him moved to your quarters to allow you time to court him before he makes his final decision, but you are not to take him by force. While it is in our best interest to have the two of you bonded as it will serve a great deal to the cause, I will not force him to be bonded." Dumbledore left no room for argument. Harry confusion only grew, but he determined this a good time to 'wake up' so he did just that.

"Headmaster? Professor?" His voice seemed to startle the two. Snape recovered easily and Dumbledore smiled over his moon-shaped glasses.

"Ah Harry, my boy! It is good to see that you are awake," he beamed ignoring the previous conversation.

Harry simply nodded his head. His mind still was trying to comprehend the conversation he had just listened in on, but neither Snape nor Dumbledore seemed to elaborate or even act as if they had been just discussing him.

"What happened?" Harry said returning his mind to the reason he was in the infirmary. Before anything could be discussed, however, Poppy popped her head in and ushered the men aside while she administered a check-up.

"Seems he has fully recovered from the effects," she said with a small smile.

"Effects? From what?"

Snape took that as an opportunity to speak. "Mister Longbottom was kind enough to mix a very dangerous potion called the Intra-polios Potion. The effects of that potion can be fatal. Luckily, the potency of it was not enough to cause such an effect and simply cause its victims to slip into unconsciousness. Mixed correctly, however, it is a heavy sleeping draught." Snape sneered at Harry as if he expected him to already have known that.

"That is no matter," Dumbledore cut through the silence. "Everyone came out perfectly fine and it was lucky it had no lasting effects."

Harry found himself letting out a relieved sigh.

"However, I have asked Professor Snape to watch over you for the next few weeks to make sure that no new symptoms appear," Dumbledore said with a slight twinkle in his eyes.

Harry had breathed too soon.

"…what…" he breathed for a moment connecting what he had heard before and felt his heart jump into his throat. He tried to swallow the lump down, but nothing seemed to calm his nerves.

"You will be staying in his quarters for the duration of that time," Dumbledore continued ignoring the wide-eyed gaze he was receiving from Harry. It took all of Harry's control to not burst into rage.

"But sir…" Harry began trying once more to swallow down his anger. "Is that really necessary?"

Snape stood unmoving at the side of Dumbledore. It even seemed with the way his eyes were turned away and his arms were crossed that he too was in disagreement with the headmaster. Harry wondered in that moment if it had been Snape he heard saying those things or was it his mind playing a cruel trick on him.

"Do not worry yourself, my boy. This is in your best interest. The potion's effects have been known to appear later on and could be quite problematic for us," he said with a small smile. Something in the way he spoke even with the kind voice he used a little too often, left no room for argument. Harry could only nod his head and agree to the ridiculous request.

"In the meanwhile, I will have Professor Snape continue your Occulmency training," Dumbledore smiled once more at Harry.

Now he understood what Dumbledore had in mind. It wasn't that he was concerned for Harry's health, it was more to prepare him for his battle with Voldemort. Despite himself, he felt resentment build up in his chest. In the end, he was just a tool for Dumbledore and the whole of the wizarding world.

No matter what he would have to suffer, there would always be something more. At this moment, he was forced to stay with the one man who liked to get under his skin. He was forced to compromise himself just to be the boy-who-lived.

Would he ever have his own life? Would he ever be able to make his own choices?

"So what do you say, Harry?"

Harry shook off his deep thinking for the moment. Something told him that he would have plenty of time to think about things.

"Yes, sir."

End Note: Well I'm back again! Going in between writing this story and another…which if you have no read, its called "A New You" and I will be writing a full formed epilogue!!! Hehe, for all my reviewers and readers, thanks!!!!! Keep up the support!!!

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